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4 January 2013

Stan Mott - Modern Mechanics

*Originally published 14/9/2011.

If you ever wondered what a steam locomotive racing might look like, or fantasised about driving the biggest baddest vehicle across the desert with its own supply of sharks and waterplanes, look no further - the eccentric imagination of Stan Mott might prove simply unmatched.

I’m priviliged to be able to post some of his artwork on The Amazo Effect. Just so that we don’t take car life too seriously.

We'll start with the (probably) the most outrageous picture I've seen for a good while: Super Tanker Chopper Golden Kick Stand and Dock:

It’s hard to summarise Stan Mott’s interests in a few words; suffice to say I think his work is brilliant.Here's some info on him that appeared in Road & Track magazine, June 1979, believe of it what you will:

“It’s impossible to type the zany, crazy Mott (who lives on a yacht—sometimes), one of our readers’ favorite cartoonists/writers and co-founder of Automobili Cyclops, the firm that rocketed to fame in its first appearance in R&T in 1957. When we asked Stan to tell us about his life, he said,'Well, I escaped Flint, Michigan at an early age, owned 50-percent interest in a Cragar flathead A-bone roadster at 12, ran at El Mirage at 15, had first automotive cartoons published in Rosetta Timing Association’s program in 1948. Went to Art Center College, developed sense of humor working in World’s Greatest Rolling Clown Show (GM Styling Section). Then worked as fry cook, mercenary, airline pilot, art director of R&T, farmer, Wall Street broker, poet. Drove go kart around the world, became an Alpine guide, did freelance art work and smuggled. Helped found Automobili Cyclops SpA and hold position of propaganda minister in perpetuity. Now working philantropically to solve moral situations in Southern Mediterranian waters for the U.N.' Stan refuses to talk about his CIA work, arctic exploration or his stint as a human cannon ball.”

From The History of Tanks (Racing Tanks, that is)

When asked for an update on his life, Stan adds:

"Since '79 I learned to fly gliders in Cyprus, did a "Captain Stan Show" in 1983-4 for Radio 103.2 in Mallorca, Spain, sailed the first Turkish caique across the Atlantic, roamed the Caribbean for seven years, settled here in Neuss, Germany. Also, I'm working on a 76-page graphic novel.".

According to Top Gear Magazine in Dec 2001):

"The Captain Stan Show was a Pythonesque consciousness weird-out which must have left baffled tourists wondering if their Watney Red Barrel had been spiked."

Here is the personal aircraft carrier for an impossibly wealthy oil sheik. The Sheik is sea-sick, so the carrier rolls on the dry ground, while the seaplanes land on its deck filled with water. Some sharks were provided to keep the waters free of Russian scuba diving spies.

GM styling concept for a Segway:

If you find that you're not talking as fast as usual, order a pair of diesel/olive oil-powered false teeth:

Some may remember Mott as the creator of the Cyclops series of cartoons:

A few Cyclops mini-cars were even manufactured by Automobili Cyclops SpA. The one-eyed mini-car blessed the John Bond-era Road & Track with much fun and colour in the 60s.S. Berliner III provides an extensive coverage of this series here.And here is the man himself, surveying the terrain outside Quarzazate, Morrocco: